REFUTING JUDAISM AGAINST JESUS (1)

To refute Judaism against Jesus Christ, we must understand what Judaism means. In order to help Christians understand Judaism and therefore witness to Jews more effectively, an examination of their doctrine of atonement is necessary. Before we examine how religious Jews deal with sin and guilt, a few things must be said about Judaism in general.

Judaism has very little to do with the Old Testament Scriptures. The sect of the Pharisees was the most popular religion among the Jews in Jesus’ day. Jesus Christ rejected the religion of the Pharisees and the Pharisees emphatically rejected Jesus and His teachings. The Pharisees followed two divisions of divine revelation. There was God’s written revelation, the Old Testament Scriptures and God’s oral revelation. The oral revelation was spoken to Moses on Mount Sinai and is preserved in the traditions of the rabbis.

Modern Judaism is not a religion of the Old Testament Scriptures but is the religion of the Talmud. The Talmud is a compilation of the oral teachings of the rabbis from about 200 years before Christ until the end of the second century, A.D. The total Talmud covers almost seven or maybe possibly eight centuries. Those who adhere to the Talmud claim that this oral tradition extends back to Moses.

The Orthodox Jews believe that the Talmud is inspired and authoritative. The Talmud repeatedly contradicts the Old Testament but it also contains internal contradictions.

Judaism is based on the often unethical speculations of various rabbis, apologists for Judaism use arguments based on various Scripture passages to refute Christian doctrine. They know that Evangelical Christians only accept the authority of Scripture for doctrine. The emergence of a number of Jews to Christianity caused some Jewish teachers to attempt to refute Jews against Christianity.

Judaism believes there are three main methods of expiating one's sin. First, there is the sacrificing of animals (OT). Second, doing good deeds or giving to charity and Third, there is repentance. If a person tells God that he is sorry with a sincere heart, then God will forgive him. The Jews teach the doctrine of repentance as the most important method of dealing with sin. Blood atonement is the least important of all.

A brief examination of the Jewish alternatives to blood atonement will show that the rabbis have totally abandoned the Scriptures and invented a religion of self-righteousness.

The blood of bulls and goats was incapable of taking away our sins (Hebrews. 10:4). Christ has taken away our sins by the sacrifice of Himself (Hebrews 9:24-28). Hebrews 9-10 interprets the cross of Jesus in terms of a sacrificial system.

HEBREWS 10:4

• For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take way sins.

HEBREWS 9:24-28

• For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us: ...
• So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

HEBREWS 9-10

Jesus, who though He is sinless sacrificed His life for us is the new form of sacrifice instead of sacrificing animals to expiate our sins.

The Law and its sacrifices were a shadow of the good things to come (Hebrews 10:1). We now have boldness to enter into the Holy of Holies by the blood of Jesus (Hebrews 10:19). Jesus Christ entered the heavenly sanctuary with His own blood to make atonement for us. By dying on the cross,the veil was broken and Jesus sprinkled His own blood upon the mercy seat.

The death of Christ enables God to justify the ungodly who believes on Christ, The wages of sin is death and Christ freed us from death by His sacrifice.

Jesus was the substitute for all sinners, and He bore our guilt, suffered the penalty of the law and reconciled us to God. Christ is the one sacrifice that perfectly fulfills the Levitical system of redeeming sin. The blood of Christ cleanses the soul from all guilt.

Judaism believes in three methods of expiating sin and they are: First, sacrificing of animals (OT). Second, doing good deeds or giving to charity and Third, there is repentance.

Method 1: Sacrificing of Animals (OT)

Sacrificing of animals had stopped since the Romans destroyed Jerusalem in AD 70 and there was no temple to worship and no altar to slaughter the animals. The Old Testament ceased and the New Testament came into place. It was foretold by Jeremiah 31:31.

• Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:

Jerusalem lay in ruins for nearly 2000 years. When Jesus was alive, He kept the law throughout His life. Jesus died on the cross sacrificing His sinless soul to redeem us to the Almighty God. A new era had begun.

The sacrifice of animals to expiate sins is a foreshadow of things to come. For four thousand years, the Hebrews followed the method of expiating sins by animal sacrifice, but when Jerusalem was completely destroyed by the Romans, the nation of Israel ceased to exist.

Judaism may believe in animal sacrifice in expiating sins, but where do they do this today? There is no altar for sacrifice!

In May 14, 1948 Israel was declared a nation again and Christianity slowly gained a stronghold. Hopefully, more and more Jews will turn to Jesus before His second return.

Does doing good deeds mitigate what evil they do against the rest of society? All other groups do acts of charity mostly for their own group, but Christianity is more open to giving to others. Muslims are known to incite them to kill lthose who are not followers of Islam. Orthodox Jews are also harsh to other Jews who are not of the same sect.

Christianity is the only religion which specifies that you must love your neighbours as yourself. You must not hate your enemies and do not retaliate against an enemy.

Good deeds or charity cannot expiate sins and only faith in Jesus can save one's soul. There are millions of people throughout the world who give to charity, but they will not go to heaven unless they believe in Jesus Christ, the son of God for Jesus is the way, the life and the truth.

Judaism believes that repentance with a sincere heart to God will expiate sins. God would see the sincerity in the heart and will forgive. Do not forget that in the Old Testament for 4000 yearts, the shedding of blood of the cattle without blemish and a year old animal will expiate sin for a whole year. The process will have to be repeated yearly. Do they still do animal sacrifices according to Moses in the Old Testament? There is no more Old Testament, but the New Testament. The past is history.

In the type of repentance that they believe, there is no shedding of blood and the sins are not removed from the sinner who is washed in the blood of Jesus Christ, whose precious blood cleanses him from sins during water baptism.

If Judaism believes in the Old Testament, they would have to follow and do animal sacrifice yearly. If the followers do not folow this custom, they are not following Moses either.

In Modern Judaism, there is no altar of sacrifice since the Romans destroyed Jerusalem in 70 AD. Where do they sacrifice, those who follow Moses? Contrast the method of repenting with the blood shed by Jesus, Son of God, who willingly gave up His life on the cross. He suffered the fate of a sinful man by dying on the cross. He was wrongfully convicted by two false witnesses prodded by the High Priest and other officials in the synagogue. All lied in order to have Jesus convicted and killed. Christians are saved by the blood of Jesus Christ when they are baptized in the name of Jesus, having the faith in the blood of Jesus washing them during baptism,

BLOOD OF JESUS CHRIST

Justified by His Blood - Romans 5:9

• Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

Redeemed through His Blood - Ephesians 1:7; Colossians 1:14

• In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace.

Sprinkling of blood - Hebrews 12:24

• And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.

Blood of Jesus Christ Cleanseth us - 1 John 1:7

• But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

The blood of Jesus Christ in the New Covenant has remission of sins, sanctification, redemption, reconciliation, victory and justification in the sight of God. The sacrifice of animals in the Old Covenant was a foreshadow of things to come in the New Covenant. Jesus by sacrificing His sinless body on the cross brought all things to reconcile us mortals with the forgiving Lord God.

Remission of Sins
Mark 14:24; Hebrews 9:22; Isaiah 53; Hebrews 13:12

Sanctification
1 Cor. 1:2; Hebrews 2:10-11; 9:13-15

Redemption
Ephesians 1:7; John 1:29; Colossians 1:14; 1 Peter 1:18-19; Revelation 5:9; Acts 20:28

Reconciliation
Colossians 1:20-22; Romans 5:10

Victory
Rev. 12:1

Justification
Romans 5:9

The reason that Jesus strongly opposed the Pharisees was that their traditions contradicted the Old Testament and had been used by the rabbis to replace the teachings of Moses and the Prophets.

MATTHEW 15:3,6

• But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?
• And honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradiion.

JOHN 5:45-47

• Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father; there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust.
• For had you believed Moses, you would have believed me; for he wrote of me.
• But if you believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?

Another reason why Judaism is refuted is because the Jews follow tradition when it suits their purpose thus ignoring God's laws. They ignore God's laws turning a blind eye to the subject. Thus they make their own laws when it is beneficial to them, for example, the law of Corban..

LAW OF CORBAN

The Jews used the tradition of men to avoid giving help to their needy parents by dedicating their resources to "Corban" for the temple thus bypassing Moses law of honouring parents.

This attitude and activity was not a part of Moses’ law, but a strictly human tradition that had evolved in the Hebrew culture over the years. When the Pharisees and scribes noted that the Savior’s disciples were not conforming to this rabbinic “tradition,” they felt they had something against Christ and His disciples.

The law of Moses required the Hebrew people to “honour” their parents. That term “honour” did not suggest mere “lip service”. It included the idea of caring for them in their various needs.

By invoking the law of "Corban", the Jews failed to observe the law of Moses in honouring their parents.

The Ten Commandments written by the finger of God still remain, but the oral laws and traditions of the rabbis were abolished.

EPHESIANS 2:15

• Having abolished in his flesh the enmity even the law of commandments contained in ordinances (613 mitzvot).

COLOSSIANS 2:14

• Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to the cross.

HEBREWS 7:18

• For there is verily a disannulling of the commandment going before for the weakness and unprofitableness thereof.

HEBREWS 8:13

• A new covenant he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.